Gift Of Dragons
by LadyNightfyre
Summary: Over the summer between his sixth and seventh years, Draco is given a gift that is both a blessing and a curse. What he chooses to do with it and the woman he chooses to share it with will set the course of the War with Voldemort.
1. Ginny

She was swimming through an ocean, a very cold ocean. Now, she was no longer swimming, but drowning. She tried to scream, but her lungs filled with icy water. She reached upwards towards where she hoped the surface would be, and grabbed ahold of her older brother's newly grown beard. Ginny Weasley opened her eyes to look into her brother, Ron's. He smiled, wairily. She was still holding his beard. "Uh, hey, Gin. It's time to get up. We leave for the train in an hour," Ron said, trying to extract his beard painfully from his sister's grasp. There was no need. The moment the words, "an hour," left his mouth, Ginny was flying from the bed with a screech. He jumped back, stroking his beard and mumbling to himself. Maybe Hermione was right and he should get rid of it. He had never thought of it as a danger. Ron walked out of the room, still muttering.

Ginny, meanwhile, had grabbed a set of clothes from her dresser and was running for the bathroom. She took a quick shower and dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a hunter green tank top before going downstairs. She would use the makeup charm Hermione had found over the summer to fix her face after breakfast. The table was crowded when she arrived. Harry was there, as was Hremione, her best friend and Ron's fieance. The two had finally gotten together over the past summer. They would be married a year after their graduation from Hogwarts, which meant, next year. Fred and George were also there, with their wives, Angelina and Katie. Ginny smiled as she sat down, Harry and Fred scooting in opposite directions to give her room. This was her family. She would do anything to protect them, anything.

An hour later, the whole happy group stood on the platform 9 3/4. Molly Weasley sobbed as her youngest son set off for his final year at Hogwarts School For Witchcraft and Wizzardry. Ginny hugged her mother and older brothers goodbye, before leaving them to give their last minuite advice to the three upcomming grduates alone. She stepped onto the train and set off in search of an empty compartment for them to sit in.

Suddenly, however, her arm was grabbed by a strong, meaty hand. An overly stupid voice said, "Look here what I got, Goil! It's the little Weasel, and all grown up too!" It was Crabbe. Ginny looked up at him in fear. He was much larger than she was, considering that she was only 5'2" and weighed, maybe, 115. Then, she heard another familiar voice.

"Leave her alone. She's not worth it. We have more important things to worry about." It was Draco Malfoy. He shoved Crabbe's arm and the larger boy dropped her unceremoniously on the ground. "Next time stay out of our way, Weasley," Draco said, then stalked by with his cronnies a his heals. Ginny got up from the ground and went into the next empty compartment she found. This was going to be a long year.


	2. Draco's Gift

DIsclaimer: I DO NOT own anything Harry Potter, just the characters you don't recognize.

Draco Malfoy brushed past the Weasley girl nonchalantly, locked in his own thoughts.This summer had been a very interesting one. He sighed as he walked into the compartment that Crabbe and Goil had been saving for him. With a look, he sent the two goons from the tiny room, then sat down. He dropped his head into his hands. His mind was a million miles away, back on the day that his father had dropped a bomb.

-Flashback-  
Draco approached his father's study hesitantly. He was not sure what he had done to deserve his father's attention this time, but it couldn't be good. The only times he was ever summoned to Lucius' private room were either when he had done something his father deamed wrong, or when it had something to do with the Death Eaters. He raised a hand to the door and noticed that it was trembling. He stopped for a moment to compose himself, then knocked on the heavy wooden door. It swung ponderously open and he heard his father's voice. "Come in, my son." Draco stepped into the room slowly, breathing in the scent of old books that always seemed to hover there.  
"Yes, father?" Draco asked cautiously, schooling his voice and face to nutrality. His father gave him a brilliant smile.  
"I have news, my son, good news. You have been chosen to join the Death Eaters! It is a wonderful honer, Draco. You were hand chosen by the Dark Lord himself!" Draco forced himself into his trademark smirk.  
"Wonderful, father! When will the Marking Ceremony be conducted?" Draco asked with all the sincerity he could muster.  
"Untill you reach the age of twenty, you cannot be marked. The amount of magic the mark entails would overload your system and kill you. Untill that day, you will be trained in all of the dark arts by our best teachers. Congratulations, my son. You have done your job well." Lucius reached across the desk he sat behind and clasped his only son's hand. When Lucius released Draco's hand, Draco strode confidantly out of the room. Once the young man had reached his own bedroom, however, he locked the door, cast scilenceing charms and, with a groan of remorse, sank onto his bed. Well, at least his father was proud. Prehaps the man would cease to beat him and his mother, though Draco doubted it. Draco hated his father and everything he represented; had since his sixth year at Hogwarts, when he had been allowed to watch what actually happened to the muggles and mudbloods that the Death Eaters cought. It did not matter WHAT these people were, no one deserved that kind of treatment. Their screams still haunted him in his dreams.  
After hours spent considering his fate, Draco slept. In his dreams, something appeared to him. At first, it was only a kind of mist, swirling with metallic colors, silver, blue, red, green, gold. Slowly, the rainbow mist coalesed into five distinct shapes. They were dragons, dragons unlike any he had ever seen. These five, unlike the wild animals that existed in reality, had an intelligent gleam in their eyes. They seemed to watch him with bemusemed consideration. "Well met, youngling. We greet you." The voice seemed to come from the golden dragon, which stood in the center of the group. Draco directed his eyes at this dragon and was rewarded with what seemed to be a draconic smile  
"Who... who are you?" Draco stammered. "What are you?" The dragons made a sound that sounded distinctly like laughter and looked at each other.  
"Cousins, we have been to long away from our childeren, and their keepers. We must do better," the blue dragon said in a musical voice  
"Do you truly not know us?" the golden dragon asked. Draco shook his head, negative. "We, youngling, are the dragon gods. I am Garrand, Dragon God of Light."  
"I am Raila, Dragon God of Fire," said the red dragon, holding it's head up proudly  
"Balonclay, Dragon God of Water," this came from the blue dragon. Her voice, (Draco had no idea how he could tell it was a female but,) her voice was almost maternal.  
"My name is Gariel, Dragon God of Earth, youngling," the green dragon intoned.  
"And I am Slylyn, Dragon God of Air," said the silver dragon. Draco looked about him wildly, then dropped to his knees. Before him were arrayed the most powerful beings he had ever heard of, the Dark Lord included. "Rise, dragon-child," Slylyn told him gently. "We have both a boon to grant and a favor to ask for you." Draco stood to his feet, trembling. Garrand took over.  
"The favor to ask is this. Never side with the human who calls himself the Dark Lord. Do all you can to destroy him. If he were to win this little war he wages, he would end by destroying the entire wizzarding race. This would leave our children unprotected. This we cannot allow." Draco nodded.  
"I can guarantee that I will do that for you, as soon as I find a way," the young man replied. Gariel picked up the story now.  
"For now, pretend to side with him. There are things that you are going to be forced to do that will seem to be helping him, but they must be acomplished. Do not be afraid of the young woman who will be forced into your life through no choice of yours. She will be, if nothing else, a friend to you."  
"And now," said Raila. "The boon we will grant you. You are a dragon child. We chose you from the day of your conception, to be ours. Now that you are a man, we will give you your birthright." With that, the dragon bent and breathed gently into Draco's face. The other dragons followed suit, with Garrand finishing. Draco looked at the dragons, confused again.  
"Your gift is this, Draco, dragon-child. You can now assume your dragon form at will. Within your dragon form, you will retain your mind. You will be able to defend yourself from any enemy. With this, you also gain the gift of dragon senses, sight, hearing, feel, touch, taste, flight, and one day, with your soulmate, telepathy. There is also something else we must give you." Garrand lowered his massive head and a finely linked golden chain fell from it. Hanging on the chain was a small green enameled egg. "Take it, Draco," the golden dragon told him. Draco reached out his hand and grasped the shinning golden necklace. It shrunk, suddenly, and he slipped it around his neck. It fit like it had been made for him, which, of course, it had. "That is the other part of your birthright," Garrand continued. "That egg holds within it the power to make one person your equal in every way. It will make the one person you choose into a dragon child as well. There is a catch, however. The person you choose will be the only person you will ever be able to love for the rest of eternity. If you choose someone who is not worthy, or someone who you cannot convince to love you, you will never be able to move on past them. Choose wisely, our son. And do not think that you can avoid chooseing. Your dragonhood will give you a lifespan much, much longer than that of a human. It also will not allow you to be with more than one person for the rest of your life. I am sorry, this boon is a curse as much as it is a blessing, but it is the greatest gift we have to give you." The other four dragons began to fade back into colored mist. "Be safe, our young son. We will be watching over you. And beware our brother, your uncle Barrow. He will try to kill you through Tom Riddle!" With that, the dragons had all dissapreared. Draco awoke on his bed, telling himself it was a dream. It was to no avail. His right hand clutched the green egg that hung around his neck.


	3. Landing

PLEASE REVIEW! Reviews are what keep writers writing!  
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own anything Harry Potter. Just the Dragon Gods. 

In their compartment, Ginny tuned out the Golden Trio's conversation and slipped on a pair of muggle headphones. Hermione had turned her on to muggle music over the summer, but the older girl had never expected Ginny to lock onto country. Singing softly, Ginny picked up a book and began to read. It was a fairy tale, about dragons. Actually written by a muggle, one, Serena Dallas, the book told of the five Dragon Gods and their brother, the Black Dragon. It was one of Ginny's favorites, and had been since Hermione had given her the book. The journey to Hogwarts sped by. Before she knew it, Ginny was slipping on her robes and packing everything back up again. She followed her brother and his friends off of the train. On the landing, however, a group of first years following the sound of Hagrid's voice crashed into her group. Ron grapped ahold of Hermione to keep her with them and Harry had no problem standing on his own. Ginny was seperated from the others. She continued walking along the edge of the platform. Suddenly, a perticularly fat second year walked straight into her, then kept walking. Ginny cried out as she began to fall over the edge of the platform. All of a sudden, there was a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. She was drawn against a warm, strong chest for a moment, then released. She stepped back to survey her savior and found herself looking into the silvery eyes of Draco Malfoy. Ginny was speechless for a moment in shock.  
"Thank you," she told him quietly, once she had found her voice.  
"Watch yourself, Weaselette. Next time, I might not be there to save you," Draco replied, flashing her his trademark smirk before turning away from her. Ginny stared after him in shock and indignation for a moment, then continued on to the carriages. When she reached the carragies, she found that the golden trio had saved a place for her with them. She climbed up gratefully and sank into the cushioned bench.  
"What happened to you, Ginny?" Ron, the ever overprotective brother asked. "We saw you fall and tried to get to you, but couldn't. Who caught you? We never could see him." They all looked at her questioningly. She answered in one, quiet word.  
"Malfoy." Ginny covered her ears from the outrage that followed.  
"What?"  
"Malfoy caught you?"  
"You're kidding!" Ginny rolled her eyes.  
"No, I'm not kidding. Malfoy caught me. I guess it was instinct, or he did it before he realized who I was. He did tell me to watch myself, because he 'might not be there to save me next time'. I swear, if I have to depend on him to do the rescueing, I think I'd rather not be rescued," the young red-head replied. Everyone laughed. By this time, they had reached the school and everyone was piling out of the carriages. They marched inside and took their places at the Griffyndor table.

Remember, please review!


	4. Prenomition

Reviews are the fire in every writter's eyes. 

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Harry Potter, just the dragon gods.

_Blast it!_ Draco thought as he walked away from Ginny. _Why, out of all the students at Hogwarts, did the girl I grabbed have to be Weasley?_  
"Hey, Draco!" the blonde spun to see his best friend, Blaise Zabini, approaching him. "What the hell was that?"  
"What?" Draco asked, hoping to the dragon gods that Blase had not seen what he had done.  
"You rescueing that Weasley girl. I mean, I know we're on her side now, but did you have to take it that far?" The last sentance had been whispered into Draco's ear as the darker haired boy grabbed Draco's arm and began steering him to the carriage where their other "friends" were waiting. Draco sighed as they got into the carriage. He now used the term "friends" lightly when it involved his fellow Slytherins. After his audiance with the dragon gods, the only person he had trusted enough to tell about his gift had been Blaise. Blaise, however, had been of the same opinion about Voldemort as Draco for a long time. Now they were working together. They had requested a meeting with Dumbledore , which would take place in the morning. Draco would tell him everything that had happened then. The two boys also planned on offering their services as spies to help their headmaster.  
Inside the carriage, Draco was almost assaulted by Pansy Parkinson. "Oh, Draco!" she gushed in what was supposed to be a seductive voice. Draco cringed inwardly. She had no idea how disgusting he thought she was. He had been giving her clues for years now, but she still clung to him like glue. Now, she was wrapping her boney arms around his neck and pressing her overperfumed body against his. He disentangled her and wedged himself between Blaise and the wall of the carriege, for whatever protection that might offer. Pansy, for her part, sat down opposite him and laid a pale, talon like hand on his knee. "How are you doing, baby?" she asked. "I was so hurt that you didn't owl me over the summer. I must have sent you a hunderd letters!" It had been one hunderd and seventy two, to be exact, plus six cards. All of them had been so disgustingly raunchy that Draco had blushed and thrown them directly into the fire.  
"I've been busy, Pansy. You know that. And I've told you not to call me baby," Draco replied, leaning away from her.  
"Oh, don't be silly!" she exclaimed. "And baby, I know you've been busy. Hand chosen by the Dark Lord to be a Death Eater! It's all so ... exciteing!" She gave a little shiver. Draco ignored her and returned to talking with Blaise.  
"I didn't mean to!" Draco said, continuing their conversation from before. "It's just, she was falling and I reacted before I thought. You know how I am." It was a carefully kept secret of the Slytherin house, but Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin king, actualy had a very gentle, protective side. Draco had been known to rescure Slytherin girls on several different occasions. It was this tendancy to chilvary that had led to Pansy's unfourtunate attachment to him. In their fourth year, Draco had saved her from being dateless by escorting her to the Yule Ball, even though it was against his better judgement. She had not stopped chaseing him since.  
"Yeah, I know, Draco my boy, but why her, of all people?" Blaise replied. Pansy, mad at being excluded from a conversation that included Draco and another girl, butted in.  
"Who was falling, baby? What happened?" the girl asked, flipping her rediculously curled hair out of her face. Blaise answered for Draco.  
"It's none of your business, Pansy. Why don't you go find a nice street corner somewhere and let us talk." The girl lapsed into a pouting silence. By this time, however, they had reached the castle. The five Slytherins piled out of the carriage. It was not until they were climbing the stairs to the enterance, however, that Draco felt the first sense from his dragon half that something bad was about to happen.


	5. Old Friends

GIFT OF DRAGONS

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING HARRY POTTER, JUST THE DRAGON GODS.

Thanks so much for all of the reviews. I'm sorry it's taken so long for this posting, but I haven't had access to a computer for several months. I'll try to do better, I promise. If anyone wants to e-mail me about the story, or just to talk, my addy is had gotten back from the feast earlier than any of the other girls in her dorm. After pleading off early with a sick stomach, she had made her way up to the Gryffindor tower. Now she sat in front of her trunk, digging through it to find her favorite nightgown. With a small cry of triumph, she sat up, nightgown in hand. Standing, she slipped out of her clothes and into the nightgown. It was faded red and green plaid flannel and had shrunk a great deal in the years she had owned it. She sat in front of her section of the communal vanity mirror that all four of the girls in her dorm shared and began running a brush through her long fiery hair. It was not long before she heard the sounds of her friends' laughter at the door, and the other three girls burst in.

"Ginny!" squealed a tall, very obviously pregnant blonde. Ginny stood up, smiling, to hug her.

"Mayle! I'm so glad to see you! You look wonderful! And how is Sythe?" Ginny gushed. The other girl just smiled.

"He's wonderful, excited about the baby. We got married right after I found out, of course."

"Of course."

"He's working now, with your brother, Charlie, actually. Helping him research the dragons."

"Oh, Mayle, that's wonderful! When are you due?" Ginny asked, sharing a smile with the two girls who were standing close by.

"Next month. It's going to be a girl. We're naming her Ginerva Lindsay, after the people who introduced us." Ginny's face split into a smile.

"Really? Mayle, I'm so happy for you!" The girls all giggled and Ginny turned to the other two. "Cassidy, Lindsay, how are you?" The two girls, twin brunettes, gave her identical smiles.

"We're engaged!" Lindsay said.

"To twin brothers!" Cassidy agreed. This piece of news caused all four of the girls to collapse into giggles and rounds of congratulations. Soon, all of them settled down onto their beds to have a gossip session.

"So," Mayle asked from her bed next to Ginny's, "have you heard who's the new Head Boy?"

"No, who is it? My brother? I know Hermione is the new head girl."

"Yeah, Hermione made it, but the Head boy's not your brother. It's none other than Draco Malfoy!" Lindsay said. "And have you heard the other news? This year, each of the heads gets to choose one person to stay with them in their private dorms."

"Really? Wow, I wonder who they're going to choose?" Ginny said. The four girls talked until late in the night, but it was not until after they had laid down to sleep that Ginny felt the cold chill run up her spine.


	6. Suprises

GIFT OF DRAGONS 

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING HARRY POTTER, JUST THE DRAGON GODS.

Draco lay on his new bed in the head's room, not sleeping, but thinking. He did not think that he could have mistaken that sensation of foreboding that had swept over him like a cold wave earlier. It was still there, a lizard walking up and down his spine. He sighed and rolled over, stretching his arm across the king sized bed he now slept in. When his hand came to rest, it encountered a sheet of parchment that had not been there when he laid down. He picked it up and began to read.

_The Dragon and the Weasel _

_Will, unite to form the _

_Future and_

_The Serpent and the Lion_

_Will,_

_Begin the world again._

Beneath that was a drawing of a strange creature. It resembled a dragon, yet, at the same time, it was like no other dragon he had ever seen. The creature had the head of a lion and the body of a snake, with shining scales of red and green and gold. Four lion's legs graced the serpentine body. It was a powerful creature, obviously capable of great destruction. The roaring head, however, seemed to be smiling, and there was a glint of humor in the emerald eyes.

Draco stared at the parchment in silent bewilderment. It was a message from the Dragon Gods. They had been contacting him in this way since the first time they had revealed themselves to him. Every piece of parchment that had magically appeared had born that same creature embossed in shinning red, green, and gold as the signature.

It was not the authors of the letter that concerned Draco. It was the contents that worried him. The poem had the ring of prophecy. Draco was reminded uncomfortably of what the Dragon Gods had told him about the young woman who would be forced into his life against his will. The prophecy was talking about him. It's reference to the Dragon made that obvious. But, who was he to be united with? The Weasel sounded much like his nasty nickname for the Weasleys, which meant, absurd as it may seem, that it could be Ginny Weasley. She was the only Weasly that Draco would even come close to allowing himself to be united with. He shuddered only slightly at this thought. Of course, the prophecy could mean someone else, but Draco did not really believe that. The Lion and the Serpent could only mean one thing: Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Draco was still contemplating when the ring he wore on his left hand began to burn. He looked at it in alarm. The ring had been given to him by   
Lord Voldemort. It was in the shape of a skeletal snake, biting its own tail. It was also Voldemort's way of contacting Draco. Draco got out of bed and belted his robe over his bare chest. He walked to the fireplace, took a handful of floo powder, and cast it into the fire. When the flames leapt up in a brilliant emerald green, a face appeared in them. It was his father.

"Draco," his father said, "step into the fire. Tonight will be a special night for you."

"Yes, Father," Draco replied as he stepped into the flames and disappeared.


	7. Preperations

GIFT OF DRAGONS 

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING HARRY POTTER, JUST THE DRAGON GODS!

Ginny rolled fitfully in bed. In her dreams, something large and dark was chasing her. She ran, quicker than she had ever run before, but still it gained on her. Suddenly, her escape was cut of as her feet reached the edge of a sheer cliff. She spun to face the darkness, and it moved closer. She slid backwards from it, but miscalculated her distance from the edge. With a scream, she fell, and awakened with something that smelled cloyingly sweet pressed tightly over her nose and mouth. She struggled for a few moments before Ginny's eyes rolled back in her head as she lost consciousness.

The person who had drugged Ginny lifted her out of her bed and walked down the stairs of the dorm to the common room. In front of the fireplace, she dropped Ginny unceremoniously on the floor as she took a handful of floo powder from a bag at her side and threw it in the fire. She said two words only, "Malfoy Manor." Then picked Ginny up and stepped into the fireplace.

Ginny awakened slowly and groggily looked around the room. It was dark, but she was lying on a bed of indescribable softness. Suddenly, a single candle flamed into existence. In its light, Ginny saw a pale face, large dark eyes regarding her calmly. Ginny sat up gingerly. Hundreds more candles flared, and she shielded her eyes from the unaccustomed light. "Where am I?" she asked. The other person stepped out into the light.

"You are in Malfoy Manor, Milady," said a female voice.

"Malfoy Manor! What's going on? Who are you, and why am I here?" Ginny asked, panicking. She swept the coverlet aside and leapt from the bed, forgetting her remaining dizziness in her fear. She stood shaking as the other woman approached.

"Milady, I cannot tell you why you are here. I have not been told. As to who I am, I am Valkyre, milady. I have been assigned to you, for tonight. I am," the girl paused, "unusual for my kind." Ginny began to force herself to calm down. She studied Valkyre. The girl was slender and tall. Her violet hair reached to her knees and her black eyes were large and solemn. Valkyre came to Ginny's side and reached to take her arm. "Come, Milady. I must do as I was commanded.

"What do you mean, 'as you were commanded'? What are you going to do with me?" Ginny asked, springing back. Valkyre was fast. She grabbed Ginny's arm before Ginny could complete her movement.

"I was commanded not to hurt you, Milady. But, there are certain preparations that I was told to make for you. Please, Milady, come with me and do not force me to compel you." Ginny stood, staring at Valkyre for a long moment before nodding woodenly. Valkyre led Ginny by the arm through a previously unseen door. They walked into a large bathroom. In the center of the room was a large tub sunk into the floor. As Ginny watched, the tub began to fill of its own accord, the water bubbling up from the middle like a flower. Valkyre strode to a wall covered with shelves of bottles of every shape and color, and chose a creamy brown liquid in a spiral shaped bottle. She poured a small amount of the liquid into the tub and the room was suddenly filled with a sweet, warm scent, like vanilla and cinnamon. Valkyre returned to Ginny and helped her to remove her clothes, then escorted her to the tub. She helped Ginny into the tub then backed up a few paces. A stone bench rose from the center of the floor and she seated herself as Ginny relaxed into the warm water. After a few minutes, Ginny sat up and looked at Valkyre.

"What kind _is_ your kind, Valkyre?" Valkyre took a deep breath.

"I am a vampire, Milady," the girl said quietly. "But as I said," she continued, interrupting Ginny as the redhead began to speak, "I am unusual for my kind. I do not drink the blood of humans. Only animals. My… partner and I are two of the only vampires in the world who refuse human blood." Ginny asked the only thing she could.

"Why?"

"We find that, though our classic vampiric powers are diminished, we gain new powers." The answer was simple and self-serving enough that Ginny had to believe it. "Come, milady." Valkyre said, rising from the bench to help Ginny from the water. "We must finish your preparations." She handed Ginny an enormous, blood red towel to dry herself with and took her arm to lead her into another room.

This room was smaller and lined with shelves and hanging bars from which hung the most beautiful array of gowns and robes Ginny had ever seen. The back wall was given over to a mirrored box with a dais in its center and a large vanity. Valkyre led Ginny over to the vanity and sat her down on the velvet cushion. The vampire then proceeded to dry Ginny's hair with a drying spell. Valkyre brushed the fiery mass until it shone like rubies pierced through with sunlight. Then, she began the laborious process of applying makeup to Ginny's pale pace the muggle way.

After her work on Ginny's face was completed, Valkyre led her over to a shallow closet recessed into one of the walls. She pushed Ginny forward, gesturing for her to open the door. Ginny complied. She removed the dress, the most beautiful she had ever seen, and Valkyre helped her into it.

When Valkyre was done with Ginny, what seemed like hours later, she led the confused red head out of the room and down a long, nearly black corridor. The corridor ended in a large room that was pitch black, save for one, single beam of light. Valkyre pushed Ginny into the light and stepped back into the shadows. Ginny, suddenly even more afraid, cried out, "Don't leave me here alone!" Valkyre laughed softly and her eyes glowed ice blue in the darkness.

"I will not leave you, milady. I promise. Be patient and silent. Everything will happen soon."


	8. Truth

DISCLAIMER! I OWN NOTHING HARRY POTTER, ONLY THE DRAGON GODS!

Draco stepped out of the fireplace into his father's drawing room. The older man stood with his back to his son, pouring a glass of a rich amber liquid. Draco coughed discreetly and he turned. He held the glass out. "Draco, my son, good to see you well. Here, drink. This brandy is excellent." Draco accepted the glass and sipped as his father poured another. "Come, sit. I have a surprise for you," Lucious said, gesturing to a green brocaded sofa with his free hand. Draco sat.

"Yes, Father. I am glad to see you well," the lie was like bitter dust on his tongue. "You said earlier that you had a surprise for me. What is it?" Draco sipped at the brandy again. He rarely drank, preferring to remain clear headed.

"Well, my son, you became a man last month, did you not? You are now seventeen." Draco looked at his father strangely.

"Yes, Father, you know that. What is this about, sir?" Draco's voice was respectful, even though he was anxious. His father took a long drink from his glass, then sat it down, hard.

"There is a prophecy we have just recently discovered. It was found inside a dragon's lair and it concerns you." Draco's ears perked. He could not be talking about … but his father was continuing. "It says:

_The Dragon and the Weasel _

_Will, unite to change the _

_Future and_

_The Serpent and the Lion _

_Will, Break the world again._

It obviously is talking about you. Everyone knows about your affinity for dragons. Your name, even, means dragon. That means that you will be united with someone, in marriage, from the way the prophecy sounds. The part about the Weasel was harder for us to figure out. There is only one wizzarding family that this particular part can mean. The Weasleys. In the wizzarding zodiac, both Arthur and Molly Weasley were born in the year of the weasel. Their last name is also a signifier. That means that you will be joined with their family."

Draco's head was reeling. He had known it, from the start. They were going to marry him to Ginny Weasley. Tonight. But, their prophecy was different from the one that the Dragon Gods had given him. There were only two subtle differences, but… Suddenly, he got it. The prophecy had been found in a dragon's lair. The Dragon Gods had planted it, in it's changed form, so that Lord Voldemort would find it and believe it. "You did not call me here to tell me this, Father," was all Draco said.

"You are right, my son. I called you here tonight for a wedding," Lucious said.

"Mine. To Ginny Weasley," Draco made his voice cold and calm, though inside of him there was a storm raging. His father sighed and picked up his glass again.

"Yes. The board of directors at Hogwarts has set things in order for your union to be possible without anyone's knowledge. Hermione Granger will choose Ginny as her partner in the Head girl's headquarters. You will choose Ron Weasley. Now, I will call your companion. He will help you ready yourself for your wedding. Hurry. Your future wife is waiting for you." Mr. Malfoy strode from the room, leaving Draco sitting there, alone and stunned. In a few moments, Draco's companion appeared. Anton was a vampire, Valkyre's lover. He had been responsible for Draco since the day of Draco's birth. Anton smiled sympathetically.

"I hear that I am supposed to be readying you for a wedding," the green-haired, blue-eyed vampire said. "I snuck in to see your bride. She is beautiful, at least. Like sun shot rubies." Draco was not in the least impressed by his companion's poetic tendencies.

"Let's just get this over with," he said and stalked out, headed towards his room. The vampire ran to intercept him.

"Wait, wait!" Anton touched his hand to Draco's arm. "Come this way. We've prepared your chambers for your wedding night. Your father had this guest room made ready for you." He directed Draco into a guest room three doors down from his own. The walls were paneled in expensive tiger-wood and the floor was carpeted in some kind to Oriental rug, but Draco did not notice. His eyes were only for the deep, rich green on black of his dress robes. His wedding robes, he corrected himself. His thoughts drifted to Ginny. She must be terrified. His father would not have permitted Valkyre to tell Ginny what was going on. It would add to Lucius' joy to frighten the young woman who was to become Draco's wife. Anton helped Draco into the robes. They were heavy, dark green brocade on a base of midnight black. The sleeves and collar were trimmed in silver thread. As Draco was belting it into place, the vampire slipped out and returned, bearing a small box.

"What is that, Anton?" Draco asked, warily.

"What?" Anton returned, hiding the box behind his back. Draco pointed.

"That. That box you are unsuccessfully trying to hide behind your scrawny back. What is it?" The vampire gave an uneasy laugh.

"Well …"

"Well what, Anton? What is it?"

"It's something that Lord Voldemort devised for his new favorite couple," Anton brought the box out and opened it. Inside was a pair of rings. One was made in silver in the shape of a serpent with ruby eyes. The other was in gold and formed into a roaring lion's head, emerald eyes almost glowing. "They're, well, a type of insurance, your father says."

"What kind of insurance?" Draco asked, heart going cold in his chest.

"That a … Well, that a … a…"

"Out with it, Anton!" Draco yelled.

"That a child will be born! Tonight. Your wife will conceive tonight." The last words were whispered into a silence that was almost as deadly as the dragons Anton's companion was named for. Draco dropped his head into his hands.

"So that's my father's game," the blonde said, weariness flooding him. Suddenly, steel filled him. "Well, I won't let him succeed. He won't get my child, our child," he amended himself, thinking of Ginny. "I'll explain everything to her. Everything, now. My wife deserves no less." His words were quiet, almost inaudible. Louder, he said, "You and Valkyre will be accompanying us back to Hogwarts, I take it?"

"Yes, milord, we will," replied the vampire, shocked at his master's abrupt change of mood.

"Then hand me the damned rings and let's go get this marriage over."

"Yes." Anton handed the box to Draco, then led the way out of the room and down the hallway to the receiving room. "I leave you here. I am to go join Valkyre. Through there," Anton gestured Draco through the door and disappeared. Draco stood where he was for a few seconds, preparing himself, then walked through the door.

The sight that greeted him almost took his breath away. Draco had never paid any attention to the Weasley girl. She was only another in a long line of annoyances, but now that she was to be his wife, he took a good, long look. He was stunned by what he saw. Ginny Weasley was beautiful, absolutely, jaw-droopingly, beautiful. She was dressed in a muggle wedding gown that revealed her creamy, freckle spotted shoulders. The thin material draped a body, he now saw, was made up of tantalizing curves, which were normally hidden by her school robes. Her hair was the color of sun shot rubies, Draco thought dazedly as he made his way to the front of the room. Then, his eyes locked on hers and a single thought rang through the draconic part of his mind. MINE.


End file.
